The Pacific Fishery Management Council plans final action in
April on ocean salmon fisheries regulations, incidental catch recommendations
for Pacific halibut in salmon troll fisheries and restructuring stock complexes
for groundfish stocks.
Several other key items are also on the agenda for the
meeting at the Hilton Vancouver Washington from April 3rd to 10th.
The council will consider action on further development of
the groundfish fishery electronic monitoring program, including preliminary
approval of experimental fishing permits, as well as in-season adjustments to
the current groundfish fishery.
Also up for consideration are adoption of preliminary
preferred alternatives for management measures for groundfish fisheries in
2015-2016 and beyond, approval of an experimental fishing permit in the 2014
coastal pelagic species fishery, and adoption of management measures for the
2014-15 sardine fishery.
The West Coast Trawlers’ Network has posted the meeting
agenda online at: http://www.westcoasttrawlers.net/sites/westcoasttrawlers.net/files/Prelim_Quick_Ref_Agenda2.pdf
A schedule of advisory group meetings is provided on the
bottom of the graph. PFMC has jurisdiction over the 317,690 square mile
exclusive economic zone off Washington, Oregon and California, managing
fisheries for some 119 species of salmon, groundfish, coastal pelagic species,
including sardines, anchovies and mackerel; and highly migratory species,
including tuna, shark and swordfish. Check on the council’s website, www.pcouncil.org, for a detailed draft of
the agenda at least two weeks prior to the meeting.